Savage Amusement

By the time the mid-late eighties rolled around, the Scorpions had proven themselves to be one of the finest metal bands on the face of the planet. Despite the changes of many band members early on and a number of changes to their overall sound, the band managed to survive - and remain excellent. Following the release of their 1984 album Love At First Sting, the band had a tough act to follow. It took them four years before they released their next full-length studio release, Savage Amusement. How does it measure up? Read on for my review.

Many Scorpions fans call this album lackluster. Many think it's the beginning of the end for the band. I think those fans need to have their heads examined, because this is one of the band's finest albums. Sure, the band had shifted in a much more mainstream direction, but so what? Many times, the principle of "selling out" destroys a band, but the Scorpions managed to remain excellent. Three fairly big hits emerged from this album. The first of which is Don't Stop At The Top, a classic hard power rocker. In my opinion, this is the best one of the big hits the band ever recorded. This song must be heard to be appreciated. It's a shame it doesn't make it on to more hits compilations. The slower tracks, Rhythm Of Love and Believe In Love also went on to become pretty big hits. Despite what people say, these are excellent tracks. Sure, they're not up to the quality of what the band did in the seventies and early eighties, but they get the job done. And before the album's over with, the band manages to shell out some more excellent rockers, including Passion Rules The Game, You Let It Rock... We Let It Roll, and Media Overkill. I really don't care what anyone else thinks about this album - I think it's one of their best.

So, what exactly is everyone's problem with this album? I think that some fans have a hard time accepting that the band they have known and loved for so long has "sold out" and gone mainstream, and accordingly they fail to realize that the band's sound is as fresh and fluent as it ever was. If you're a Scorpions fan, this is yet another album that will go great in your collection.

By the time the mid-late eighties rolled around, the Scorpions had proven themselves to be one of the finest metal bands on the face of the planet. Despite the changes of many band members early on and a number of changes to their overall sound, the band managed to survive - and remain excellent. Following the release of their 1984 album Love At First Sting, the band had a tough act to follow. It took them four years before they released their next full-length studio release, Savage Amusement. How does it measure up? Read on for my review.

Many Scorpions fans call this album lackluster. Many think it's the beginning of the end for the band. I think those fans need to have their heads examined, because this is one of the band's finest albums. Sure, the band had shifted in a much more mainstream direction, but so what? Many times, the principle of "selling out" destroys a band, but the Scorpions managed to remain excellent. Three fairly big hits emerged from this album. The first of which is Don't Stop At The Top, a classic hard power rocker. In my opinion, this is the best one of the big hits the band ever recorded. This song must be heard to be appreciated. It's a shame it doesn't make it on to more hits compilations. The slower tracks, Rhythm Of Love and Believe In Love also went on to become pretty big hits. Despite what people say, these are excellent tracks. Sure, they're not up to the quality of what the band did in the seventies and early eighties, but they get the job done. And before the album's over with, the band manages to shell out some more excellent rockers, including Passion Rules The Game, You Let It Rock... We Let It Roll, and Media Overkill. I really don't care what anyone else thinks about this album - I think it's one of their best.

So, what exactly is everyone's problem with this album? I think that some fans have a hard time accepting that the band they have known and loved for so long has "sold out" and gone mainstream, and accordingly they fail to realize that the band's sound is as fresh and fluent as it ever was. If you're a Scorpions fan, this is yet another album that will go great in your collection.